This invention relates to portable electric space heaters.
Portable electric space heaters have long been used to provide heat, whether radiant, conductive and/or convective, to a local area. Electric space heaters commonly used in the home or office typically emit heat in a single, fixed direction, although some units are provided with an oscillating feature so that heat may be provided across an angular range of motion of the heater.
The inventors have appreciated that typical electric space heaters do not provide sufficient flexibility for a user to adjust where and how heat is provided in a particular area. For example, space heaters having a heat throw must be adjusted in position to provide heat to more than one area in a room. Oscillating-type space heaters can provide a changing heat throw direction, but persons near the heater may experience discomfort due to the constantly changing amount of heat in their area. That is, a person may feel warm while the oscillating heater is directed toward the person, but may feel cool when the heater is directed another way.
In at least one aspect of the invention, a portable air conditioning apparatus, such as a space heater, has at least two separable units that may be detached and positioned apart from each other. As a result, each of the units may be positioned to throw heat or otherwise condition air in a desired direction that is independent of a heat throw direction of the other unit(s). The separable units may be electrically connected and be supplied electric power by a common source. Thus, the units may be positioned to provide a constant heat source to two separate areas. The units may be separated from each other without the use of tools to allow a user to more easily configure the distribution of heat output of the units.
In another aspect of the invention, a portable space heater may have separable units that may be connected together and arranged to provide heat in two or more different directions. The directions in which heat is provided by the units may be adjustable, whether through a manually adjustable or automatically oscillating feature.
In one aspect of the invention, separable heat generating units in a portable space heater may be connected by magnetic latches, mechanical latches, a hinge arrangement, a bayonet-type connection, or any other suitable device or combination of devices.
In one aspect of the invention, separable heating units may be physically separated while remaining electrically connected to each other. In another aspect, the separable units may be both physically and electrically disconnected to provide two or more independent heating units.
These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims.